Young cyclist from Azerbaijan: Three-year doping ban for 19-year-old cyclist

Even very young cyclists are caught up in the doping maelstrom. Artyom Proskuryakov from Azerbaijan has been banned for three years for doping, according to a statement from the cycling world federation UCI. According to the UCI, the 19-year-old cyclist tested positive for methamphetamine in an A and B sample on 23 September 2025 during the last Road World Championships in Rwanda. The ban began on 18 November 2025 and is valid until 17 November 2028. Proskuryakov was one of the strongest young racers in his home country and has taken part in the junior races of the Road World Championships in recent years. According to the UCI, it was a case of "intelligence-led testing", i.e. a type of target control. Metamphetamine is a stimulant and is an essential component of the drug crystal meth. The synthetically produced active ingredient was also used in Pervitin (so-called armoured chocolate) as a stimulant for soldiers during the Second World War. The manufacture, possession or marketing of methamphetamine without a licence is a punishable offence in Germany and most European countries.